The Black Keys melted my face

Today I bumped into an old friend of mine who said the only reason he came to the festival was the Black Keys. Seemed like a lot of effort (and money and not bathing) for just one band, but their early evening set today was a jawdropper.

My colleague John Sinkevics describes them as "like the White Stripes with a good drummer," and I can't think of a better way to put it.

The duo of Dan Auerbach (guitar/vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) march in such perfect lockstep you'd think they were appendages controlled by the same nervous system. Basic beats and simple riffs are blown to mammoth proportions by a dynamic stage presence and, of course, the trusty orange Boss distortion pedal.

Walking back to the media tent, which is in the shared backstage area between the Odeum and Sherwood stages, I was torn between Michael Franti & Spearhead and Medeski, Martin & Wood, and ended up gravitating toward MMW, an improvisational trio that's managed to attract a wide hipster following in addition to its jam credentials.

Some more good stuff happening now -- Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi, Bus Driver -- but I'm off to grab dinner and settle in for Dave.